Presentation content management and creation systems and methods

ABSTRACT

A presentation content management and creation system ( 10 ) comprises a database ( 30 ) of sorted media components coupled to be in communication with a controller ( 50 ) for scheduling and rendering media components selected from the database into a real time media presentation. At least one output device ( 14 ) is coupled to be in communication with the controller for outputting the real time media presentation and the controller renders the selected media components as the real time presentation is being communicated to the at least one output device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to presentation content management andcreation systems and methods.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Presentations such as advertising are a ubiquitous feature of modernlife and efforts are continually being made to devise improved methodsof effective presentation and in particular advertising. One commonplaceform of advertising found in, for example, retail outlets, trade showsand the like comprises a display, such as a CRT or LCD screen, coupledto a computer terminal or playback device, such as VCR or DVD player,which displays images and plays audio to typically promote productsand/or services.

A more sophisticated system is disclosed in United States PatentApplication Publication No. US 2003/0191688 in the name of Prince et al.The disclosed system, method and storage device comprises a commercialdisplay services application having a user interface that allows usersto select and program advertising content from databases of diversemedia formats such as audio-video advertising content, staticadvertising content and audio-clip content. This system therefore allowsusers to tailor the content of the advertising to particular customers.

However, one drawback of both of the aforementioned advertising systemsis that the advertisements are pre-produced, they are presented in afixed series or sequence and are continuously repeated, for example,throughout the day in a looped arrangement. Research has demonstratedthat repeated exposure to the same advertisements can result inpotential customers “tuning out” the advertisements. Additionally,employees are exposed to the repeated advertisements for hours, days andeven weeks, which provides for an undesirable work environment. Althoughemployees can look away from the display, the audio is usuallyunavoidable, which can result in the volume being reduced by employeesthus deteriorating the effectiveness of the advertising on the potentialcustomers. The negative effect on the employees can also be transferredto the potential customers, which can impact negatively on sales.

Another system for delivering advertising content and other informationis disclosed in WO 00/057308 assigned to Frankel and Company. Templatemultimedia presentations are assembled at a central location for aplurality of remote sites. The template multimedia presentations aretransmitted to the remote sites over a wide area network, Internet orthe like, and are stored on players at their respective sites. Theplayers automatically access an enterprise database to retrieve datauseful for modification of the template multimedia presentation into asite-specific multimedia presentation, preferably at predeterminedintervals. The result is a site-specific multimedia presentationincorporating changing enterprise data. Whilst this system providesimproved efficiency in the distribution and presentation ofadvertisements, flexibility is limited because the site-specificmultimedia presentations can only be modifications of the templatemultimedia presentation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,411 in the name of Ward discloses a system andmethod for creating dynamic play lists that allow for the dynamicaddition and subtraction of play list items. The system and method takesinto consideration user preferences, user behaviour and the availabilityof new content. The system maintains a database of linkages betweenelements associated with content items as well as weighted linkagesbetween elements and respective properties. When a new item is insertedinto the database, the new item shares preference weights and a numberof preferences associated with items pre-existing in the database.Whilst this system and method enables users to experience new items thatcorrelate with the specified user preferences or other bases for framingan initial input list that otherwise might not have been considered, thesystem and method only deals with such factors when a player of thesystem is presenting pre-produced and deployed content. Consequently,the play lists disclosed in this patent are only dynamic in the sensethat new, discrete items of pre-produced content can be inserted in theplay list.

US 2002/0138641 also discloses the concept of the dynamic play list andhas the objective of a system for a media producer to dynamically stringmedia clips together while reducing or eliminating delays between mediaclips. A system and method are disclosed in which a dummy play list iscreated that causes a media player to request media clips from a proxyserver. The proxy server dynamically determines where to redirect therequests resulting in the dynamic arrangement of the sequence of mediaclips to be played. Therefore, the benefits of this system and methodare also limited because they can only deal with how such choices couldbe made dynamically when the player is presenting pre-produced anddeployed content. Furthermore, this system and method are directedexclusively to streamed media content and a variety of streaming mediaplayers.

Similarly, a system for electronically distributing, displaying andcontrolling advertising and other communicative media disclosed in WO01/078273 is also limited to only varying a schedule of discrete,pre-produced items of content. WO 01/078273 discloses a need to vary thecontent and its sequencing after it has been deployed. Media content tobe displayed according to a schedule together with dynamic data to bedisplayed according to another overlying schedule are mixed in ascheduler according to logs of user preferences and monitored, formattedand loaded for display in a scene renderer.

WO 01/050401 discloses a system and method for distributing andcontrolling the output of media in public spaces and discloses theconcept of the dynamic play list, the introduction of local content andthe addition of further content relevant to the consumer. It defines theoutput of related media to multiple devices as synchronization orsynchronized delivery. A transient state variable interface module isdisclosed that receives data reflecting transient conditions relevant tothe public space. A logic controller module then dynamically selectsbetween available media based at least in part on the state of thetransient state variables. This document also has the disadvantage ofbeing limited to varying pre-produced content.

Hence, current presentation solutions rely heavily on pre-produced mediacomponents, which limits the flexibility and control of such solutionsbecause significant changes to the media components are not possible. Inthe case of, for example, a video file, all of the control over thecomponents typically exists when the media is being created in a programsuch as Adobe® Premiere®. Therefore when this media is later playedback, the control over each component that made up the video file isgone. Another disadvantage is that pre-produced media components, suchas video files, tend to be large and therefore take longer todistribute. The large file size does not allow distribution of the mediato be prompt if such distribution needs to be done across a network,such as the Internet.

Hence, there is a need for a system, method and/or apparatus to addressor at least ameliorate one or more of the aforementioned problems of theprior art or provide a useful commercial alternative.

In this specification, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including”or similar terms are intended to mean a non-exclusive inclusion, suchthat a method, system or apparatus that comprises a list of elementsdoes not include those elements solely, but may well include otherelements not listed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadestform, the invention resides in a presentation content management andcreation system comprising:

a database of sorted media components;

a controller coupled to be in communication with the database forscheduling and rendering media components selected from the databaseinto a real time media presentation;

at least one output device coupled to be in communication with thecontroller for outputting the real time media presentation;

wherein the controller renders the selected media components as the realtime presentation is being communicated to the at least one outputdevice.

Suitably, the system further comprises an administrator module coupledto be in communication with the database and the controller.

The database, the controller and the administrator module may be coupledto be in communication in a store control unit.

Preferably, the media components selected from the database include atleast one static media component and/or at least one dynamic mediacomponent.

The dynamic media component may be selected when a change in the realtime presentation is required.

Preferably, at least one attribute of at least one of the dynamic mediacomponents is determined by the controller. Examples of attributesinclude, but are not limited to: colour, opacity, position, size,duration, volume, layer order, text size, text style, blend leveltransparency or combinations thereof.

The system may further comprise a customer demographic database coupledto be in communication with a user interface and the database of sortedmedia components. The user interface may also function as the at leastone output device.

In response to one or more selections made by a user via the userinterface, the real time media presentation is communicated to the atleast one output device.

The one or more selections made by the user may include selectingwhether or not advertisements are to be included in the real time mediapresentation.

If advertisements are to be included in the real time mediapresentation, the advertisements are selected by the controller on thebasis of data relating to the user stored in the customer demographicdatabase.

Suitably, the advertisements are selected from an advertisement databasecoupled to be in communication with the controller.

In one embodiment, the media components scheduled and/or rendered by thecontroller are determined at least partially in response to signalsdetected by one or more of the following devices coupled to be incommunication with the controller: an image capturing device, a motionsensor, a sensitive/voice activated screen.

In another form, the invention resides in a controller for apresentation content management and creation system, said controllercomprising:

a scheduler module for selecting media components from a database ofsorted media components and creating a play-list of scheduled mediacomponents; and

a renderer module for rendering the scheduled media components into areal time media presentation as the real time presentation is beingcommunicated to at least one output device coupled to be incommunication with the controller.

The scheduler module may randomly select media components from thedatabase of sorted media components via a list of media componentsstored in the controller.

Suitably, the media components are sorted at least by a media categoryor subcategory required in the presentation.

Preferably, the scheduler and the renderer module separate the scheduledmedia components into dynamic components and static components and therenderer module combines the static components and the dynamiccomponents in the real-time presentation.

Suitably, the dynamic components, if required, are selected according toone or more identifying parameters specified for the dynamic components.

Preferably, the renderer module reselects at least one of the dynamiccomponents when a change in the real-time presentation is required.

The renderer module may change the presentation of a media component dueto an internal input and/or an external input.

In a further form, the invention resides in a method of creating apresentation including:

selecting media components from a database of sorted media components;

creating a play-list of scheduled media components; and

rendering the scheduled media components into a real time mediapresentation as the real time presentation is being communicated to atleast one output device.

The method may further include separating the media componentsconstituting the scheduled media into dynamic components and staticcomponents.

The method may further include changing at least one of the dynamiccomponents when a change in the real time media presentation isrequired.

Changing at least one of the dynamic components may include:

determining a type and at least one parameter of the at least onedynamic component that requires changing; and

selecting a replacement component from at least one component listaccording to the parameters.

Preferably, the method further includes combining the static componentsand the dynamic components in the real-time media presentation.

The method may further include recording details of the media componentsfor auditing purposes once displayed in the real time mediapresentation.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

By way of example only, preferred embodiments of the invention will bedescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a presentation contentmanagement system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of operations of a controller forthe presentation content management system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps performed by a scheduler moduleof the controller;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps performed by a renderer moduleof the controller;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a system for a first applicationof the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the first application of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a second application of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a presentation content managementsystem 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprisinga store control unit (SCU) 12 coupled to be in communication with one ormore visual and audio output devices 14. The output devices 14 can be,for example, a plasma screen 16, a projector 18 and screen 20, a CRT 22,a plurality of CRTs 24 coupled to an RF unit 26 and/or a LCD screen 28,or other forms of visual and audio displays 29.

The SCU 12 comprises a database 30 of media components 32, such as audio34, video, 36, images 38 and text data 40 as well as surface data 42,schedules 44 and administrative data 46. Database 30 is coupled to be incommunication with an administrator module 48, which is coupled to be incommunication with a controller 50. A user 52 can interact with the SCU12 via the administrator module 48 via a user interface device which islinked to the administrator module 48 via the remote control module 54and/or a point-of-sale (POS) terminal 56. The SCU 12 provides audiocontent 55 and video content 57 to the output devices 14. The audiocontent 55 can utilise third generation audio coding (AC3) from DolbyLaboratories delivered via 5.1 channel or stereo. The video content 57can be presented in anamorphic resolution using DVI, VGA, COMP, HDMI orRF communications.

With reference to FIG. 2, the controller 50 comprises a scheduler module58 coupled to be in communication with a renderer module 60. Thescheduler module 58 generates a play list 62 of media to be presentedover a predetermined time period and the renderer module 60 presents themedia from the play list.

Media is defined herein as a collection of one or more components thatcan be static (predetermined) 61 or dynamic (selected during run-time)63. Media can be the actual media to be presented, such as an audiovideo interleave (.avi) file, or media can be a description of one ormore components 32 to be presented. Each media description contains acategory, a subcategory and a time duration/length. A component can beanything that is applied or presented by the system 10. Examples ofcomponents 32 are audio, graphics, video, text and two- and/orthree-dimensional objects. A dynamic component 63 has a list ofparameters, each of which contains one or more criteria that allow it tobe, or prevent it from being, selected at run-time by the schedulermodule 58. Such parameters can be a time/date range, a genre, anaudience classification and so on.

The controller 50 maintains a list of media in a media pool 64. Medialisted in the media pool can be filtered by category and/or subcategorywhich is integral to the scheduling process. The controller 50 alsomaintains one or more lists of components 65, grouped by the componenttype. For example, there may be an audio component list 66 and a videocomponent list 68 each of which can be filtered by genre, audienceclassification, appropriate time of day or night to run and so on.

As the scheduler module 58 generates the play-list 62, the dynamiccomponents 63 of each media are selected. The dynamic components 63 arevaried according to a set of required parameters that the mediadescribes. Such required parameters may be, for example, the location ofthe system, the time the media is scheduled to play and so on. Therequired parameters allow the scheduler module 58 to select anappropriate component from the component lists 65 for the dynamiccomponent 63 in the media. An example of this can be media whichcontains a dynamic component 63 that is a piece of audio to be playedduring the media. This piece of audio could vary according to when themedia was scheduled to play. The audio desired during the day forexample can differ to the audio desired at night. As well as schedulingdynamic components 63, the scheduler module 58 can vary the presentationof media caused by an input. An example of this is varying the volume ofaudio and video media components during a busier part of the day whenthe ambient volume is typically higher.

Once media has been scheduled it is known as scheduled media 70. Oncethe scheduler module 58 has generated a final play-list 62, the renderermodule 60 takes over and begins presenting the scheduled media 70. Asthe scheduled media is played, it is known as real-time media 72. Oncepresented 73, details of the media presented are recorded for auditingand billing purposes 75. Once scheduled media is taken from the finalplay-list it can be dynamically adjusted or modified by the renderermodule 60 in response to an internal input 74 and/or an external input76. Internal inputs 74 are within the system 10 such as time and dateinputs. For example, if media is played later then expected, the mediacan be adjusted to suit the new parameters. External inputs are externalto the system 10 such as the user interface device, examples of whichinclude a touch screen, an audio/visual sensor or an RFID scanner. Suchinternal and/or external inputs can also affect how media or theschedule is presented. An example of this may be a user triggering asensor that increases the volume of the media or causes different mediato be loaded and presented. The scheduled media can be dynamicallyadjusted up to 30 times per second within a time line of thepresentation to provide an unprecedented level of flexibility in mediapresentation.

The scheduling process performed by the scheduler module 58 will now bedescribed in more detail with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 3. Instep 100, the scheduling process determines the total amount of timeavailable. The scheduler module 58 takes the difference between anypredetermined time/date and the current time/date as the total run time.

In step 110, the details of a category are read and the availableschedule time is divided into a user-specified amount of categories.Each category is given a weighting (percentage totaling 100%), whichdetermines how much of the total time that category receives in thepresentation. A category run time is calculated by using the percentageweight against the total run time, as represented by step 120. Thecategory weight is added to a running total to ensure the total does notexceed 100%.

Within each category, one or more user-specified subcategories arechosen to distribute the time share of each category. Each subcategoryis read in step 130 and a run time for each subcategory is calculated instep 140. The rules of each subcategory applied to the category run timecan calculate the amount of time allocated to each subcategory.

In step 150, the media pool 64, which is the list of all media in thesystem 10, is sorted or filtered by category and subcategory to generatea subcategory list for the relevant sub-category, as represented by step160. A new subcategory list will be generated for each subcategory.

In step 170, media is randomly selected from the subcategory list. Themedia within the subcategory list is randomly selected to fulfil thetime share of each subcategory as evenly as possible to ensure one pieceof media is not played a disproportionate amount of time or the majorityof the time. The randomly selected media from the subcategory list areadded to a subcategory media list, as represented by step 180.

With reference to step 190, if more time is available to be filled forthat subcategory, further media are picked from the subcategory list. Nomore time is available for further media of a particular category whenthe subcategory media-list has reached its subcategory run-time.According to one embodiment, the subcategory run-time is reached whenthe total length of all media in the subcategory media-list is greaterthen 30 seconds less than the subcategory run-time and less than 120seconds more than the subcategory run-time. Rules are applied to therandomly chosen media to ensure one piece of media is not chosenpredominantly over any other.

If no more time is available, with reference to step 200, if furthersubcategories are required, steps 130-190 are repeated. If no moresubcategories are required, the enquiry is made whether furthercategories are required in step 210. If so, steps 110-200 are repeated.If not, the subcategory media lists are combined into an initial medialist, as represented by step 220.

With reference to step 230, an empty final play-list is created to storeall the final media clips. The final play-list is a schedule of mediathat must be played and the times at which it must be played. Therefore,the first media to be inserted into the final play-list will have atime-to-play (TTP) that equals the time the scheduler module 58 beganscheduling. The second media will have a TTP of when the scheduler beganto schedule plus the length of time of the first media and so on. Aseach media is inserted into the final play-list, the TTP of the nextmedia to be played is determined by adding the TTP and length of thecurrent media.

With reference to step 240, the final play-list is filled by randomlypicking media from the initial list, which contains the appropriateamount of media for each subcategory. Various repeat rules can beapplied at this time. One such rule can be that as media is randomlychosen from the initial list for the final play-list, a check is made toensure this media has not already been scheduled to play in the previousthree media scheduled to play, as represented by step 250. If the mediahas been played in any of the previous three media, with reference tostep 260, the media is reinserted into the initial list and in step 240media is randomly chosen again from the initial list.

With reference to step 270, once media has been selected for insertioninto the final play-list at a proposed time to play, the media ischecked for dynamic components. A dynamic component is a part of themedia that is variable and determined at run time. It is determined byone or more required parameters. These parameters give criteria forselecting a component to insert into the media. Such parameters mayinclude, but are not limited to, the proposed time to play, the locationof the system 10, or the output devices 14 thereof, the date a scheduleis being generated and a genre. With reference to steps 280, if themedia contains one or more dynamic components, the scheduler module 58will determine the type and the required parameters of each dynamiccomponent and, with reference to step 290, using the component lists 65shown in FIG. 2, the scheduler module 58 will pick one or moreappropriate components to insert.

In addition to selecting components dynamically at run-time, thescheduler module 58 can also control the application/presentation ofcomponents based on different parameters. Therefore, the presentation ofmedia can differ due to, for example, being presented at different timesof the day. Such parameters can include, but are not limited to, theproposed time to play (TTP), the location of the system 10, or theoutput devices 14 thereof, and the date a schedule is being generated.This is dynamically performed at run-time and can be applied to allmedia within the system 10.

Once media has been inserted into the final play list, as represented bystep 300 in FIG. 3, a check is made against a forced play-list, asrepresented by step 310. The forced play-list contains a list of mediawhich is scheduled to run at an exact time. A check is made against theforced play-list after media is inserted into the final play-list toensure that the media in the forced play-list are played as close to thespecified time as possible. If media in the forced play-list is due tobe played at the current time, the media is removed from the forcedplay-list, as represented by step 320, and is inserted in the finalplay-list as represented by step 330. If media in the forced play-listis not due to be played at the current time, the method of the schedulermodule 58 proceeds to step 340.

With reference to step 340, if more media remains in the initial list,more media is randomly picked from the initial list in step 240. If not,once all checks have been made and all required media is inserted intothe final play-list, the final play-list is complete, as represented bystep 350 and, with reference to FIG. 2, it becomes known as scheduledmedia 70. This simply means that this media has passed the schedulermodule 58 and has been given a time-to-play.

With reference to FIG. 2, the rendering process presents scheduled media70 from the final play-list 62. Once scheduled media 70 is taken fromthe final play-list 62, it is known as real-time media 72. To presentthe media, the renderer module 60 first separates all the individualcomponents and each component is prepared individually for presentation.As scheduled media is presented, the renderer module 60 has theopportunity to alter the presentation of components due to one or moreinternal inputs 74 and/or one or more external inputs 76, as describedabove. After each real-time media 72 is presented, the next is takenfrom the final play-list 62.

The rendering process will now be described in more detail withreference to the flowchart in FIG. 4. With reference to step 400, thefirst step in the rendering process is to begin a timer. This timerallows the renderer module 60 to keep track of the effects andcomponents that must be processed. Once a timer is in place, the mediacan be split up into its individual components, as represented by step410. Referring to step 430, to determine if there are any changesnecessary to any dynamic components in the media, a check is madeagainst all the internal inputs such as date and time, as represented bystep 420. If the current time is significantly different to theTime-to-Play (TTP) of the scheduled media, the renderer module 60 canmake the necessary modifications. This is done by first identifying thedynamic components within the media, as represented by step 440 and thetype and required parameters of the dynamic components, step 450. Oncethe type and required parameters are determined, an appropriatereplacement component can be selected from the component list 65, asrepresented by step 460. Once this step is complete the media becomesknown as real-time media 72.

At this stage, with reference to step 470, a check is made to determineif any input has been made that would modify the media that is currentlyplaying. This input could be in the form of a button being pressed by auser on a panel to play a particular media. If this occurs, the currentreal-time media is paused, the selected media is located, as representedby step 480. The selected media is loaded and begins to play, asrepresented by step 490. Once this media has run completely (unlessinterrupted by an internal or external input), the scheduled real-timemedia is resumed.

Effects, transitions and modifications to components are appliedindividually. With reference to step 500, if there are components to bepresented, the first step in presenting a component is to apply thescheduled or default appearance to the component, as represented by step510. Next, with reference to step 520, all external inputs are checkedto determine if any modification to the appearance of the component isnecessary, step 530. An example where this may be the case is when anoise cancelling audio sensor determines that the noise level in alocation has risen to a certain level and amplification of a particularcomponent is necessary. If necessary, the changes to the presentationare applied, step 540. Finally, any required transitions are applied tothe component before it is presented, as represented by step 550. Such atransition may be a fade between two components.

With reference to step 560, each component is presented one afteranother and, with reference to step 570, the timer is updated to reflectthe new time until no more components are left to be presented. A checkis made at step 580 to ensure the media has not played through itspre-determined duration. If the duration of the media as not beenreached, step 470 is re-visited to check for any input that wouldprovoke a change to the media currently playing and continues until theduration of the media is reached. When the duration of the media isreached, with reference to step 590, the next scheduled media isselected from the final play-list 62 and the process begins again.

The truly dynamic nature of the combined scheduling and rendering systemof the present invention is evident in its application as a powerfultraining aid. Training material can be driven at will by apresenter/operator bringing to the screen at any time the requiredcontent. Functions available include pause, rewind, replay, skip, fastforward etc.

Clearly, the present invention provides a highly flexible system andmethod of advertising content management and presentation that enables awide range of organisations to promote advertising material in a largevariety of ways in many different environments and scenarios.

Another application of the present invention is referred to as a VirtualSales Person application that enables targeted advertising and messagingas a direct result of the application of dynamic control being appliedto the components of the media during the scheduling process and therendering process described above.

With reference to FIG. 5, in addition to the store control unit (SCU) 12and the visual and audio output devices 14, the system comprises acustomer interface, which, in one embodiment, includes an image capturedevice such as video camera 80, and/or a motion sensor, such as apassive infra-red (PIR) motion detector 82, and/or a sensitive/voiceactivated screen 84 coupled to be in communication with the SCU 12 and,according to one embodiment, coupled to be in communication with thecontroller 50.

The media and the components to be used in the media are selected andcontrolled dynamically by various events including, but not limited to,motion detection, sound detection, sound level via noise cancelling, anyuser interface, time of day, run time, date, location. All attributes ofcomponents are controlled dynamically including, but not limited to, theattributes of size, position, transparency level, colour, volume,opacity. The components are accessed from the store control unit 12 wheninstructed by the scheduler module 58 and/or the renderer module 60. Theinstructions can be in part or wholly as a result of the play list 62 orany dynamically generated request at the run-time.

An example of the virtual sales person is shown in FIG. 6 and thesequence of events progresses along the time line 90 from left right.With reference to the “no events” section, when there are no customersin the vicinity of the video camera 80, motion detector 82 and/orsensitive/voice activated screen 84, in one embodiment the images arevisible and the audio is at 100%. In this embodiment, an audio videointerleave (.avi) file is employed, but alternatives can be used. Inanother embodiment, in the absence of customers being detected, neitherthe images nor audio will be active or one or the other can be active ifdesired.

When a customer enters, for example, a store, (“customer enters”) the.avi images are visible and the audio is at 100%. The live feed relaysimages captured by the video camera 80, for example of the customer, andincludes the images of the customer in the presentation. There is avideo cross fade for a period of, for example, 5 seconds and the livefeed is visible, but the audio for the live feed is not audible. Next,as depicted further along the time line 90 in the section “avatarappears”, the avatar (animated 3D component) is made visible and itsassociated audio level is set at 70%. The live feed settings remain thesame, but the .avi images are no longer visible and the associated audiois cross faded over 5 seconds to the 30% level in this embodiment.

Where the customer interacts with the system (“customer interacts”), viaany of the customer interface elements, such as the motion sensor 82 orvideo camera 80, the live feed and .avi settings remain the same, butthe audio associated with the avatar is dropped to 0% and the productbeing advertised is made visible and its associated audio level elevatedto 70% to attract and engage the customer. Where the customer remains(“customer remains”) as detected by the motion sensor 82 and/or videocamera 80, the product logo is made visible along with associated text,such as a ticker displaying the price, product features, a discount,bonuses, freebies or the like. Where the customer leaves the store ormoves on to another part of the store (“customer leaves”), the logo,ticker, product images and audio, avatar data and live feed data are nolonger visible or audible and the original images and audio aredisplayed.

Another application of the present invention is “entertainment ondemand”, such as “video on demand”. The purpose of this application ofthe controller 50, scheduler module 58 and renderer module 60 of thesystem 10 is to download and view and/or listen to entertainmentcontent. With reference to FIG. 7, the system 600 comprisesentertainment content 605 sourced from entertainment content providers,an entertainment content data list 610, a customer demographic database620, a web based user interface 630 coupled to be in communication withthe database 620, communication and delivery via cable/high speedinternet connection 640 from a cable provider or internet serviceprovider (ISP) coupled to be in communication with a user (audience)interface device 650. In FIG. 7, user interface device 650 is depictedas a person computer (PC) including visual/audio display. However, itshould be appreciated that in other embodiments, user interface device650 can also be a laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA) orother communication device, such as a mobile telephone. In otherembodiments, user interface device 650 can also be one or more of theaforementioned output devices 14, such as a screen coupled to a set topbox, hard drive or the like that enables a user to make selections andview content.

The user (audience) selects from the entertainment content data list 610via the user interface 650. The selection of entertainment is combinedwith demographic data from database 620 and matched to components froman advertisement database 660 depending on an advertising optionselected by the user. If the ‘No’ option 670 is selected by the user,only non-revenue components can be selected, such as movie trailers,further download offers, etc. If the ‘Yes’ option 690 is selected,components are selected from all available advertising components andmatched using demographic info, movie choice and preferences ifindicated by the user. Permission 700 allowing download of entertainmentcontent is subject to conditions, such as prior payment, acceptance ofadvertising content, membership or any other defined condition such asuser age, and is provided to the download site. The selected media andany components that may be required based on run-time instructions areassembled by the controller 50, scheduler module 58 and renderer module60 and uploaded to the customer device 650. The entertainment contentmay be distributed from one of many entertainment content mirror sites.

The number of times or number of days that the entertainment can beaccessed is controlled by the controller 50. Each time the entertainmentis viewed, components are reselected dynamically according to rules. Forexample, an advertisement run at 9.00 a.m. during entertainment may be acoffee advertisement and the advertisement run at 8.00 p.m. may be analcohol advertisement.

Dynamic components selected can be subject to predetermined parameterssuch as audience classification/actual run-time or any input duringrun-time.

The viewing rule can vary from once to an unlimited number. Under theunlimited viewing model, new media and components would automaticallydownload whenever the customer logged on to the web interface 630 andseamlessly upload ready for the next viewing. All transactions arelogged as proof of purchase to the advertiser.

This process can be further automated to download particular contentwhenever it becomes available always with fresh and relevant advertisingwhich has already been pre-approved for delivery. This model ofentertainment would therefore rival free-to-air television as anadvertising medium and, in its purest business application, be free tocustomers who choose to accept advertising. According to one embodiment,customers can also choose the advertisement format. For example, alladvertisements could be grouped to run at the start of a programme.Advertisers could also choose to advertise in conjunction with symbioticor complimentary products from other advertisers, which could beinterleaved as desired by the controller 50, scheduler 58 and renderer60.

Another application of the present invention is in situations where itis imperative that changes in conditions or parameters are brought tothe attention of an observer as soon as possible. Examples of suchsituations include, but are not limited to, medical and emergencyenvironments, such as hospitals, plant monitoring, mining environments,aircraft and air traffic control environments. For example, the presentinvention could be utilised for presenting patient critical information,such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and the like. Undernormal patient conditions, or within acceptable tolerances according tothe patient's condition, age, gender etc., the patient criticalinformation could be displayed in a particular font and colour with orwithout associated audio. In a critical or emergency condition, such asthe patient experiencing cardiac arrest, one or more elements of thepatient critical information could be displayed in a much larger fontand more eye-catching colour to attract the observer's attention as soonas possible. This change could be accompanied by a very audible changein, or the introduction of, associated audio. Multiple patients could bemonitored simultaneously via a live feed, each patient having associatedparameters determining how their patient critical information isdisplayed. For example, acceptable tolerances of patient criticalinformation for a toddler are unlikely to be acceptable for an 80year-old. Similar display varying capabilities would also be of greatvalue in monitoring conditions of plant machinery and mine sites and inair traffic control situations, for example, to display aircraft on safecourses differently from those on a collision course.

Hence, the systems and methods of the present invention thus provide asolution to the aforementioned problems of the prior art by virtue ofthe controller 50, scheduler module 58 and renderer module 60 of thepresentation content management and creation systems and methods. Thedisadvantages of the prior art looped systems are avoided because thepresent invention dynamically controls the selection, scheduling andrendering of the media components to avoid the repetition of the priorart. The present invention can produce a continually varyingpresentation where desired and can vary the content according to therequired effects, the environment, such as background noise, interactionfrom customers/users and both internal and external interrupts andinputs, such as those derived from patients/machinery, as describedabove. Changes up to 30 times per second within the time line of thepresentation can be performed to modify the presentation to include, forexample, forced play list content, as described above. Because all ofthe production or rendering is done as the media is being displayed,this allows us to completely control and modify all of the attributes,such as, but limited to, the colour, opacity, position, size, volume,layer order, font size and style, blend level transparency, etc.) ofeach media component, whether that be an image or a text field or anyother component at any time.

The Video On Demand delivery methods enable targeted advertising andassociated revenue streams as direct result of the application of thedynamic control of the components of the media during the scheduling andrendering processes.

The Virtual Sales Person methods enable targeted advertising andmessaging as a direct result of the application of the dynamic controlof the components of the media during the scheduling and renderingprocesses.

The system and methods described with respect to the scheduler module 58and renderer module 60 are designed to allow control of any availableattributes of any available component by way of sensing from any sourcean input command. Such input can then be made to vary the resultantpresented media dynamically as it is displayed to the visual and audiooutput devices 14 of the system. The extent of control extends to, butis not limited by, component selection and presentation withpresentation comprising one or more of size, position, colour, font,duration, opacity, visibility, and volume. Determinations thereof arecontinually made regarding these component attributes by the renderermodule 60 and are limited only by the processor in the SCU 12.

The level of control afforded by the invention gives rise to thepresentation, and in particular, advertising creation and deliverysystem which can be accessed by simple web based interfaces. Theresultant dynamic content can not only be tailored to have a unique lookand feel, but also deliver a unique result each time it is viewed. Thesystem is 100% scalable and high video production costs are eliminated.Furthermore, the file sizes associated with this method of contentproduction and presentation are reduced to a fraction of the size of atraditionally produced video file, but deliver the high definitioncontent required by today's modern screens. The present invention allowsmedia to be a composition of many smaller components, such as images,text fields, audio files, etc., which significantly reduce the overallsize of the media. This file size compared to play time is completelydisproportionate by current standards. For example, a 30s advertisementcan occupy a mere 1 MB in the present invention. This brings anotherclear advantage when, for example, a presentation is delivered bybroadband to a consumer's home. Downloaded content begins playingimmediately and because further content can be downloaded during thisplay time, the resultant delivery can be seamless.

The control of the rendering process via timelines that interactdynamically with the schedule allows the same level of control availablefrom current DVD players. Skip, Skip to, Repeat, Fast Forward, Rewind,Pause, Freeze, Picture-in-Picture (PIP) are all functions of control ofdisplay attributes of content components and as such can be madeavailable at all times to the viewer. This level of functionalityfurther allows the user to drill down and request further information asa result of an onscreen prompt in the form of a message, offer or thelike. The auditing and reporting available allows for advertisers to bebilled only after the content has been viewed and for theiradvertisement to be only offered to their desired demographic. Theadvertiser can be billed at differing rates based on, for example, thedegree of demographic match achieved or the varying levels ofinteractivity.

Alternatively viewers can choose to accept advertising only fromcategories and companies of their choice. Advertising can bedemocratised and made affordable to the point that the local trader maycompete equally with multinational companies for the viewers attentionwhile still ensuring a revenue stream appropriate to the content whichis at least equal to, but may under this system due to market demands begreater than that currently developed by free to air television.

The invention can also be applied across many differing platforms, suchas IP telephony networks, Mobile 3G networks and viewed on desk topVideo phones, handheld devices and the like.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the inventionwithout limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specificcollection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realizevariations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fallwithin the scope of the invention.

1. A presentation content management and creation system comprising: adatabase of sorted media components; a controller coupled to be incommunication with the database for scheduling and rendering mediacomponents selected from the database into a real time mediapresentation; at least one output device coupled to be in communicationwith the controller for outputting the real time media presentation;wherein in response to one or more inputs to the controller, one or moreattributes of the one or more selected media components scheduled forpresentation is modified as the real time media presentation isdisplayed by the at least one output device.
 2. The system of claim 1,further comprising an administrator module coupled to be incommunication with the database and the controller.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the database, the controller and the administratormodule are coupled to be in communication in a store control unit. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the media components selected from thedatabase include at least one of the following: a static mediacomponent, a dynamic media component.
 5. The system of claim 4, whereina dynamic media component is selected when a change in the real timepresentation is required.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least oneattribute of at least one of the dynamic media components is determinedby the controller.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein attributes of themedia components include: colour, opacity, position, size, duration,volume, layer order, text size, text style; blend level transparency orcombinations thereof.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising acustomer demographic database coupled to be in communication with a userinterface device and the database of sorted media components.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the user interface device also functions asthe at least one output device.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein atleast some of the media components in the database of sorted mediacomponents are provided by entertainment media content providers. 11.The system of claim 8, wherein in response to one or more selectionsmade by a user via the user interface, the real time media presentationis communicated to the at least one output device.
 12. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the one or more selections made by the user includeselecting whether or not advertisements are to be included in the realtime media presentation.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein ifadvertisements are to be included in the real time media presentation,the advertisements are selected by the controller on the basis of datarelating to the user stored in the customer demographic database. 14.The system of claim 13, wherein said advertisements are selected from anadvertisement database coupled to be in communication with thecontroller.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the media componentsscheduled and/or rendered by the controller are determined at leastpartially in response to signals detected by one or more of thefollowing devices coupled to be in communication with the controller: animage capturing device, a motion sensor, a sensitive/voice activatedscreen.
 16. A controller for a presentation content management andcreation system, said controller comprising: a scheduler module forselecting media components from a database of sorted media componentsand creating a play-list of scheduled media components; and a renderermodule for rendering the scheduled media components into a real timemedia presentation displayed by at least one output device coupled to bein communication with the controller; wherein, in response to one ormore inputs to the controller, one or more attributes of the one or moreselected media components scheduled for presentation is modified as thereal time media presentation is displayed by the at least one outputdevice.
 17. The controller of claim 16, wherein the scheduler modulerandomly selects media components from the database of sorted mediacomponents via a list of media components stored in the controller. 18.The controller of claim 16, wherein the media components are sorted atleast by a media category required in the presentation.
 19. Thecontroller of claim 16, wherein the scheduler separates the scheduledmedia components into dynamic components and static components.
 20. Thecontroller of claim 19, wherein the dynamic components, if required, areselected according to one or more identifying parameters specified forsaid dynamic components.
 21. The controller of claim 16, wherein therenderer module separates the components constituting the scheduledmedia into dynamic components and static components.
 22. The controllerof claim 21, wherein the renderer module reselects at least one of thedynamic components when a change in the real-time presentation isrequired.
 23. The controller of claim 21, wherein the renderer modulecombines the static components and the dynamic components in thereal-time presentation.
 24. The controller of claim 16, wherein thesorted media components are sorted by a media subcategory required inthe presentation.
 25. The controller of claim 16, wherein the renderermodule changes the presentation of a media component due to one or moreof the following: an internal input, an external input.
 26. Thecontroller of claim 16, wherein attributes of the media componentsinclude: colour, opacity, position, size, duration, volume, layer order,text size, text style, blend level transparency or combinations thereof.27. A method of creating and presenting a presentation including:selecting media components from a database of sorted media components;creating a play-list of scheduled media components; rendering thescheduled media components into a real time media presentation as thereal time presentation is displayed by at least one output device; andmodifying, in response to one or more inputs to a controller, one ormore attributes of the one or more selected media components scheduledfor presentation as the real time media presentation is displayed by theat least one output device.
 28. The method of claim 27, furtherincluding separating the media components constituting the scheduledmedia into dynamic components and static components.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, further including changing at least one of the dynamiccomponents when a change in the real time media presentation isrequired.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein changing at least one ofthe dynamic components includes: determining a type and at least oneparameter of the at least one dynamic component that requires changing;and selecting a replacement component from at least one component listaccording to the parameters.
 31. The method of claim 28, furtherincluding combining the static components and the dynamic components inthe real-time media presentation.
 32. The method of claim 27, furtherincluding recording details of the media components for auditingpurposes once displayed in the real time media presentation.
 33. Themethod of claim 27, wherein modifying one or more attributes includesmodifying: colour, opacity, position, size, duration, volume, layerorder, text size, text style, blend level transparency or combinationsthereof.
 34. A presentation content management and creation systemcomprising the controller of claim 16.